1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to timer devices. In particular, the present invention relates to timer devices that can be attached to various objects and used to associate a particular time with the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many tasks in the home or in industry are time dependent. Food and pharmaceuticals are perishable. Equipment needs regular maintenance. With many of these time demands operating simultaneously (as they almost always do), it can be difficult to stay ahead of them and to prioritize those chores that need to be accomplished most urgently.
Some people use small, hand-written labels to mark the date that leftovers went into the freezer. Cars often carry small windshield tags reminding the driver of the next oil change date. Food carries “use by” dates. However, there remains a need for a multifunction device that consolidates all these applications and more using modern electronics to allow the device to be programmed for each particular application.
A variety of specific-use timer devices are known in the prior art for use with pharmaceuticals and pill containers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,936 (Ditzig) shows a timer device that adheres to the top surface of a medicine bottle cap. The timer device includes an LCD and an electronic counting means that counts from 1 second up to 24 hours, at which time it flashes until reset. The device is automatically reset each time a user presses upon the top face (e.g., when opening the bottle).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,153 (Schollmeyer et al.) discloses a pharmacist-programmable timer device that can be built into or attached to a lid of a pill bottle. The device can be programmed (using an external programmer) to generate audible and visible prompting cues at intervals specified by the prescription instructions. The device is automatically reset in response to removal of the cap from the pill bottle or by use of a reset button.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,016 (Zoltan) discloses a timer device that can be attached to a cap of a pill container and reused with fresh containers. The device includes an LCD that identifies the time when the pill container was last opened and the elapsed time since the cap was last off. A “cap-on” sensor is used to reset each time the cap is taken off.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,390 (Cardoza), U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,661 (Walters), U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,592 (Weiner), U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,571 (Wirtschafter), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,705 (Hamilton et al.) each disclose a timer device built into the cap of a pill bottle. These timer devices have automatic resets that are actuated when the cap is compressed or twisted.